Metro Briefing | New York: Manhattan: U.S. Appeals Ruling

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have appealed a judge's ruling that could limit what the government calls an important investigative tool against terrorism. In April, Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ruled that the government may not use a law that allows detention of material witnesses to hold people for grand jury investigations. The government had held a Jordanian student, Osama Awadallah, above, as a material witness and later indicted him on charges of lying before a grand jury. Judge Scheindlin ruled that Mr. Awadallah was detained illegally, and, therefore, his grand jury testimony must be suppressed and the charges dismissed. In a 139-page brief filed July 31, prosecutors said Judge Scheindlin's conclusions disregarded legislative history and Supreme Court precedent. Last month, another judge of the same court, Chief Judge Michael B. Mukasey, ruled that prosecutors may detain material witnesses for grand juries. Benjamin Weiser (NYT)